Another Loss for Mission Aviation

Today we had another great loss in mission aviation. Ron Royce, long time Moody Aviation flight instructor and his student Adam West were lost in a training accident near Elizabethton, TN.

In our minds we know that Ron and Adam are with their savior rejoicing but in our hearts we feel great loss, sorrow and empathy for their loved ones. We praise the Lord for the many years of investment that Ron made in many of us who are engaged in mission aviation. He changed the lives of the people around him as professional aviators and as individuals. Even when we made significant mistakes Ron showed us grace and provided opportunities for us to become better than we were.

Ron's humor is legendary. He honored you when he actually did shake your hand and always accompanied that firm handshake with words of encouragement. I remember feeling honored again a few months ago at Oshkosh when Ron wanted to get a picture of the two of us. After that we talked about pilot training as peers, another great honor.

My logbook shows I flew with Ron 32 hours between June 1992 and May 1995 including 102 landings, which seems like a lot, one every 20 minutes or so. That includes flying to CA and back. I also rode along for a bunch of hours beyond that. What an opportunity.

We will continue to pray for the families; for Ron's dear wife Loretta and grown children Jonathan, Julie and Jeff and the grandchildren as well as Adam West's wife Carrie and two young children.

It's hard to know what to say at a time like this other than we have experienced another great loss today. One that we will only recover one day when we see Jesus face-to-face.

In the wake of today's events Loretta Royce sighed and said heaven will never be the same. A good chuckle is an appropriate emotion to allow to linger. It beats heartbreak and honors the memory of Ron much better.

Training Group #3

Today we started our third wave of training. It is a flight training group that consists of two New Tribes Mission Aviation (NTMA) pilot/mechanics and two JAARS pilot/mechanics. This is the biggest group of customers we have had so far and - when added to the two MAF pilots we already had - made for a busy training center. It's great to see the facility being utilized to a high degree.

Our two JAARS pilots arrived directly from Indonesia (31 hours travel time) where they had been involved in setting up operations of the first Quest Kodiak 100 to serve in missions overseas. It's great to be serving alongside these men as they seek to maximize the work of this new tool.

Our two NTMA pilots are getting set to take delivery of the first of 14 Kodiaks they have on order. Both men will be key in setting up operations, training and learning how to best utilize the aircraft which will also be going to Indonesia.

We are honored and sobered by the investment that organizations like MAF, NTMA and JAARS are making to come to STC to receive their turbine training.